What's Hot: Stylish, slim and the stand integrates nicely with the case.

What's Not: Front of the iPhone 4S doesn't have any protection.

Reviewed by Tong Zhang

Macally has released a new wave of iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 cases, headsets and charging solutions for the first half of 2012. The newly released cases for the iPhone 4S include models with flip covers, glow in the dark models and basic TPU cases. The Protective Case with Pop-up Stand inspires more imagination than the generic name suggests. The case comes in a two-tone leather design that has a spring pop-up stand hidden in plain sight. This iPhone 4S case combines leather with a slim hard shell phone holder to keep the profile slim yet the case protective. The case currently comes in navy blue and orange two-tone colors.

Design

The Macally Protective Case with Pop-up Stand for iPhone 4S/4 has a unique design. The case that holds the iPhone 4S is a slim hard shell cover that reminds us the Case-Mate Barely There case. But behind the hard shell case, the Macally case has 2 thin layers of protection made with reinforced leather. In the center of the leather cover you will find a snap on ring that pops up when you press the Macally logo in the middle and turns into a stand. It's super easy to pop it up and equally as easy to flatten it out. When flattened, the stand integrates with the back of the case as a part of the case. The leather layers have stiff inserts that provide additional structural support to the hard shell case for the iPhone 4S.

As with cases like the Barely There case, the Macally Protective Case with Pop-up Stand covers the two vertical sides of the iPhone 4S but leaves most of the top and bottom of the phone open. The hard shell also covers sides just below the top of the front display glass on the iPhone 4S, adds very little bulk to the look of the phone, but it also leaves the front display without any protection. Since the case doesn't wrap around high enough, it doesn't create any barrier between the phone's display and surface when you put the phone face down. The interior of the hard shell has a soft touch coating that won't scratch your iPhone 4S when you put it in or take it out of the case.

Features

One very nice thing about the slim hard shell design is that the case leaves everything on the top and bottom of the iPhone 4S easily accessible. The case covers the corners just enough so that the 3.5mm audio jack, top mic and the power button are completely out in the open, so are the bottom mic and 30-pin connector. The case is slim enough to fit in many docking stations and audio accessories that have some extra space on the back. There is a large cutout on the side to expose the silence button and the volume buttons and it works with all versions of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. The back of the case has a perfect camera cutout that gives the lens a full view and the flash enough space to fully illuminate.

The star of the design lies hidden in the back. The orange strip in the middle of the blue strips might look like a fashion feature, but it has an important function. Press the middle of the orange strip where the Macally logo is, the spring ring will pop out and turns into a semi-circle stand that positions your iPhone 4S in a angle that's comfortable for media viewing, video chatting and more. You can also use this stand to position your iPhone 4S in a portrait orientation. When you are done with the stand, press the sides of the ring to flatten it back into the case. It's very easy to operate and hides very well in the case.

Conclusion

The Macally Protective Case with Pop-up Stand for iPhone 4S/4 is a very functional case with a unique design. It's very protective of the iPhone 4S on the back and sides as well as the structure, but leaves the front display exposed. The case looks cool in the two-tone color, and it's slim and weighs only 0.8 ounces. The pop-up is a surprising feature that works very well and hides even better in the case, and it lets your iPhone 4S stand up in either landscape and portrait orientations. The case is well made with a hard shell and leather, and stitching looks even and strong.